I really do

John Coltrane — Ole’ Coltrane

“Ole’ Coltrane” was John Coltrane’s last recording for the Atlantic label. It was recorded by Phil Ramone in May 1961 and released the following February. The larger group and long song forms mark a departure from his earlier solo works and point to where he was heading with his recordings on Impulse. His first record for Impulse, “Africa/Brass”, was recorded two days prior and included many of the same musicians.

This session featured his quartet including McCoy Tyner (p), Reggie Workman (b), and Elvin Jones (d), with the addition of Freddie Hubbard (tp), Eric Dolphy–under the pseudonym George Lane–(as,fl), and Art Davis as a second bassist. The performances are long and the music is dense, but not too much so. It has an energy and urgency that is very engaging, with a unique sonic texture that must have been jarring for some listeners at the time. New ground was being forged for sure.

I think this an early, but not first stereo pressing. The green and blue is correct, but I believe the “white fan”, not black as it is here, is the first issue. That said, I did see several examples of old auctions where the “black fan” was called the first or original pressing–sometimes it’s hard to get good information out there in the world! Although it’s likely not a first, this is still a desirable early pressing.

Hi Tony–Thanks a lot for stopping by. I’m a big fan of So Many Records, So Little Time–glad you linked through. I’m trying to post a new record with needledrop every 2 or 3 days, so check back and feel free to comment.